This being a holiday weekend I’m going to try to keep this short(er) and succinctish. I know, that is hard for me. First I want to publish two articles that follow issues which I have been telling you to worry about for probably a couple of decades. Back then, you might have said I was exaggerating or overblowing the dangers. Now they are very real. While I’m sorry to be right, this does speak to the credibility of what I have been warning was going to happen. Which, unfortunately, makes me extremely worried about the fact that we are just beginning to feel the impact and consequences of a rapidly warming planet.
After that, I’m going to follow up on the automotive track on which I’ve recently been reporting.
This first article is about snow in the Rocky Mountains. What I told you so long ago is that eventually the mountains would get less snow. Just as importantly, due to hotter weather, it would melt to early and fast. That is exactly what is happening. The main consequence I foresaw was a lack of water on the Eastern side of the Rocky’s. The reason that this is so terribly important is that that this water irrigates the vast majority of the farmland that grows so much food, especially wheat. And while rain plays a part, the snowmelt is the essential ingredient. And, btw, rainfall is at a deficit as well.There’s a reason this area is known as the breadbasket of the world.
One of the consequences is that if our food production is inadequate, what do you think a country with the biggest and strongest military in the world will do? What wars have we gotten into over oil?? And if you hadn’t realized it both Germany and Japan went to war in the late 30’s for access to oil. I just finished a novel, Fox Creek, (spoiler alert) over access to water. One thing that this article brings out is something that had not occurred to me previously and that is that with our lack of water, the hydro electricity that is generated from rivers and reservoirs will be in jeopardy.
From Bloomberg
Record Pace of Snowmelt in US West Threatens Another Drought
The quick melt caused much of the snow to change to vapor, which has robbed rivers, streams and reservoirs of runoff needed to replenish water supplies.
05/22/2025
Parts of the region spanning the West Coast to the lower Mountain West have less than half of the normal amount of snow typical at this time of year… Some have nothing. Only parts of southern Oregon and a few places in Northern California are holding onto above-average snow pack.
leaving states struggling to maintain water supplies and contributing to wildfires. The lack of spring runoff also depletes hydroelectric capacity, a key power source for the West.
The water is then used for drinking and agriculture through the summer and fall.
Some of you were at our house last week for a discussion with Earthjustice and one of the issues that was mentioned was about CO2 pipelines and the dangers they present. We are
fortunate that our legislators are aware of these dangers and did something about it. CO2 is a colorless, odor free substance that will kill living things, including people, of course. And the pipelines leak and break putting many in a life threatening danger.
From E&E News
Illinois lawmakers ban CO2 injection under aquifer
Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is expected to sign the legislation after news of leaks at an Archer-Daniels-Midland carbon storage project raised new questions about safety.
05/22/2025
Turning now to the auto industry, you may have been seeing articles about how pretty much all of the manufacturers are changing their plans and cutting back on their quest to go all electric. They are now planning to keep ICEs in production longer, continue to do R&D on ICEs, limit their capacity to produce EVs and push more into hybrids. That all appears to be true. Nevertheless, I, and many others, believe that the transition to an all electric auto future will happen. The only question is timing. The two biggest continuing hurdles are the availability of chargers and the time to get fully charged. The reason I don’t include range anxiety is that by overcoming the previous two challenges, range anxiety will disappear. Charging will be like stopping and filling up with gas. This, and falling prices. Unfortunately, our government is now not only NOT supporting this process, it is actively trying to stop it. As they say, “this too shall pass”. Below are some article that show the state of play. Don’t despair. EVs are inevitable. And if the US isn’t careful, and it doesn’t appear that we are being so, we will get left in the dust and no amount of tariffs will save the US automakers.
From Automotive News
EVS RIDE SALES WAVE
Electric vehicle registrations surge 20% in March on tariff fears
5/19/2025
March EV registrations outpaced gains in the overall light-vehicle market
“Despite many obstacles — and what you may read elsewhere — electric-vehicle sales continue to grow at a healthy pace in the U.S. market,” Cox Automotive said in an April report on first-quarter sales.
You may recall that I have been telling you for years about solid state battery development and that it was coming. I’ve indicated that this will be a substantial jump forward. Well, it’s now happening!
From Automotive News
Solid-State Batteries Put to the Test
Factorial’s technology plumps battery range by 25%, Mercedes says
5/19/2025
Mercedes-Benz will start testing solid-state batteries on the road this month
The technology promises 25 percent more range for the same size and weight battery, Mercedes said. The EQS test car is expected to have a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles). Currently, the maximum range for an EQS is about 800 km.
In general, solid-state batteries offer improved energy density, faster charging and improved safety over conventional “wet” electrolyte batteries
the Mercedes test is the first time that lithium metal solid-state batteries have been integrated into a production vehicle.
Mercedes said the solid-state battery packs are thinner and lighter and offer better energy density, and thus longer range, for the same size and weight.
From Automotive News
GM’s New EV Battery Cell for Pickups, SUVs Expected by ’28
May 19, 2025
General Motors says it has developed a new battery cell with joint venture partner LG Energy Solution that will bring down costs on mainstream electric vehicles without compromising on range.
“It unlocks the premium range and performance at an affordable cost. It’s a game-changing battery for electric trucks,” ,,,“We believe we can deliver more than 400 miles of range in a single charge in a truck, while significantly reducing our battery costs.”
LMR cells are cheaper because manganese costs less than nickel and cobalt, and because prismatic cells are more efficient and easier to assemble, GM said.
And finally, this… Beware of the Chinese
From The Washington Post
Trump is Trashing Electric Vehicles. China is Building Cars the World Wants.
4/29/2025
China is leapfrogging the United States with the availability of more advanced, cheaper electric vehicles, while President Donald Trump is cutting subsidies and making other moves that could leave the U.S. behind.
Trump argues the policy reversals will usher in a renaissance for U.S. automakers, now free to focus on the gas cars that still generate the bulk of their profits.
Trump has declared that the Biden administration’s support for electric cars was a Marxist “hoax” that hurt U.S. autoworkers. He is freezing billions of dollars of spending on electric vehicle infrastructure, ripping out charging stations in government buildings, and reversing regulations that incentivize automakers to focus on plug-in innovation.
But the policy will also ensure the U.S. remains behind in the global EV race.
It all puts an industry crucial to the U.S. economy in a precarious place, with analysts warning there is only so long U.S. auto giants can rely on tariffs to wall consumers off from Chinese offerings. Europe has already bent to consumer demand, with drivers eagerly buying up reliable EVs with sticker prices as low as $20,000 from red-hot Chinese EV makers like BYD, short for “Build Your Dreams.” Last month, BYD announced it had fulfilled a dream of many motorists by unveiling electric cars that could be fully charged in five minutes.
The starting price of the new fast-charging BYD cars sold in China is under $28,600, more than 10 percent cheaper than a Tesla Model 3 there.
“If those products were to come to the U.S., the auto industry here would be in deep trouble,”
“These incredibly cheap, high-quality EVs from China are impossible to match if you don’t have the U.S. government helping manufacturers make this transition,”
